Gate Codes and Phone Numbers

Why is it important to give us gate codes if the person you are sending flowers to lives in a gated community?

Well, gated communities are difficult to deliver to. Generally there are 2 types of gated communities. 1: Gated with a call box or key pad; and 2: Guarded with a security guard. Each has it’s own difficulties.

A gated community that has a call box or key pad. A lot of times call boxes are broken. I can not tell you how many times I have gone to a call box and it does not work. No names come up, or there is no dial tone, or worse yet – someone hit it with their car and took it off the post.. Most of the time, you can punch in the gate code and the gate will open, regardless of how broken the call box may be (unless its missing). If we have a correct phone number for the recipient (not the senders phone number) we can call them and they can give us instructions on how to get in the gate. But, if you have the gate code, it keeps us from having to call the recipient and ruin the surprise that we are coming with a present for them.

Guarded communities are a bit rough too.. We almost always have to call these people ahead of time. They have to alert the guard to let us in. Otherwise we are turned away. That means we have to sometimes try 2 and 3 times to get flowers delivered – and often that does not happen in the same day. Then Grandma or Aunt Hilda do not get their flowers on the correct day..

Something to remember too- It is illegal for us to follow other cars into a gated community.. It is illegal for us to hop gates. If we get caught doing these things we can be fined. But you say “I do it all the time and have never gotten in trouble.” The reality is that we are a business, and we are actively breaking the law by doing this. Not to mention it defeats the purpose of living in a gated community.

So please, give us gate codes… Give us phone numbers for the recipient…